VERSE 17

THE devotee 1 who, having placed before himself, 2 and meditated and again meditated 3 upon, the abode, 4 strewn with flowers, 5 of the Deva with the bow of flowers, 6 recites 7 Thy Mantra, Ah! 8 he becomes on earth the Lord of Gandharvas, 9 and the ocean of the nectar of the flow of poesy, 10 and is after death in Thy supreme abode. 11

COMMENTARY

'Devotee' (Bhaktah)

The Sādhaka who is a Yogi on the Divya path.

'The Abode' (Kusuṁadhanusho mandiram)

The triangular Yoni Mandala in the Mūlādhāra. Nirvāṇa-Tantra says, 'In the triangle, the abode of Kāma, the Liṅga is Maheśvara.'

'With its own flowers'

Adorned with the Svayaṁbhu-liṅga which is compared to a flower. Gorakṣa-Samhitā says, 'He is truly wise who knows the supreme Tejas in the Yoni called Svayaṁbhu-liṅga. Others are but beasts of burden.'

He attains Nirvāṇa on being united with Thee who are Saccidānandarūpā. Kūrma-Purāṇa says, Brahmavādīs have learnt in all Vedas and Vedāntas the one, omnipresent, subtle (Kūtastha), immovable, absolute, endless, undecaying Brahman, the sole supreme Niṣkala-Tattva higher than the highest, eternal, auspicious, wondrous.' Devīgītā says 'Oh Mountain, he in whom Parabhakti is thus generated becomes merged in Pure Consciousness.'

Footnotes

83:4Kusuma-dhanuṣo mandiraṁ. The Deva with the bow of flowers is Kama whose abode is the Madanāgāra. Tantrakalpadruma says, 'He who recites the Mantra ten thousand times meditating on the flower-covered Yoni (Svapuṣpairākīrṇam) of Śakti, of a certainty charms all with his poesy.' Svapuṣpa is called Svayaṁbhukusuma in Tantra-śāstra, Mātṛkābheda-Tantra says, 'Oh Lady of Maheśa Svapuṣpa, which charms all is the Ṛtu which first appears in a married girl (V).

83:9 Celestial spirits (devayoni), who play and sing at the banquets of the Devas. According to the Viṣṇu-Purāṇa, sons of Brahmā 'born imbibing melody.' The Sādhaka thus becomes a master of dance, music and song, p. 85Gandarva-śreṇīpatih. He becomes a great singer and a master of melody. The Sāhasānka says, 'Hāhā is called a Gandharva and singing also makes a Gandharva' (V).

83:10 He becomes a Pandita in all literature. The Kālī-Tantra, quoted in the Kālīkalpalatā, says that in strength he becomes like the wind, in wealth of gifts like Indra, and in the musical art like Tumburu (K.B.)a Ṛṣi, master of music and inventor of the tāmbur.